Light mounting fixture



H. A. KUBAK 3,158,328

LIGHT MOUNTING FIXTURE Filed June 26, 1961 Nov. 24, 1964 fjer a. I@ @if United States Patent O 3,158,328 LIGHT MGUNTENG FIXTURE Hubert A. Kuhak, 6l23 W. Roscoe Si., Chicago, Ill. Filed June 26, 1961, Ser. No. 119,381 Claims. (Cl. 240-16) This invention relates to an electric light mounting fixture and more specifically to a novel lixture which may be optionally used as a light stand or as a pumpkin lighter.

I have found that in present constructions there are provided only fixtures for specific uses with no thought to their convertability for other uses. Lights presently used in illuminating pumpkins are ordinarily of poor constmction and thus hazardous to use because of necessity they must be very inexpensive otherwise they would not be saleable for such limited use.

A general object of the invention is to devise a novel combination pumpkin light and light stand which is very easy to convert from one purpose to the other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel interlocking mechanism for releasably holding an associated light standard to an associated stand or to fthe wall of a pumpkin.

The invention comprehends a novel light lixture having a telescoping tubular column comprising inner and outer portions axially and rotatably movable, said portions being complementally nonround and for axial adjustment in extension and retraction being positionable complementally to obtain easy longitudinal sliding movement and being rotatable to noncomplemental position with attendant distortion of the portions to lock said portions against telescoping movements.

A further object of the invention is to provide the standard from plastic material such as nylon, polyethylene or rthe like which has good elastic and dielectric properties and wherein the tubular structure can be readily distonted into oval shapes.

The invention also contemplates novel means for interlocking the standard to the associated support, said means comprising an oval external surface on the standard over which is sleeved a exible washer having normally a circular opening of the minimum diameter of the oval surface such that upon the washer being sleeved over the standard the Washer is distored into a concave form whereby it Wedges against the standard, the oval shape of the standard which is constituted of a pair of telescoping oval portions also serves to interlock the portions in axially adjusted positions.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the specilications and the drawings, wherein:

FIGURE l is an axial sectional View of the novel light fixture assembled as a light stand;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary enlarged transverse view taken substantially on line 2 2 of FIGURE l;

lFIGURE 3 is a further enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 3--3 of FIGURE 1;

IFIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary axial View; and

FIGURE 5 is partially in elevation and partly in axial section with parts broken away illustrating the fixture applied to a pumpkin.

Describing the invention in detail and having particular reference to the drawings there is shown a light fixture generally designated 2 which in the assembly of FIGURE l comprises a base or support 3 having a central circular section 4 encompassed by an integral dished peripheral section 5 which is formed with a handle 6.

The dished portion has a plurality of seating legs 7, 7 which are adapted to rest 'the fixture upon a supporting surface S of a dresser, table or the like.

It will be noted that the central section 4 is connected lCe to the upper edge of the dished portion 5 and forms an annular downwardly open cavity 9 which admits the lower end portion 10 of a standard or column generally designated r11.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 1, the outer tubular portion .12 of column 11 extends through a central opening 13 in the section 4 and extends vertically from the base. Adjacent to its lower extremity the outer part 12 is provided with an internal radial wall 14 which merges without the tube into an upwardly concaved flange 15 which about its outer peripheral edge 16 lits complementally Within the internal bore surface 17.

The outer or lower portion 12 of column 11 is ovalshaped in cross-section and externally admits an interlocking element or disc 18 in the form of a thin flexible washer which may be made of plastic such as nylon, polyethylene and the like as is column 11. The element 18 is preferably annular and under unstressed condition is flat or planar and has an opening 19 therethrough which is normally circular but which is distortable into oval shape similar to and snugly embracing and complementally engaging the exterior oval or nonround surface 20. The distortion causes the washer 18 to assume a concave form and upon its being concaved downwardly and forced toward the lower end of the portion 12 is caused to peripherally engageas at 21 the upper side -22 of the central portion 4 of the support and in being flexible is placed under axial stress urging the column upwardly and thereby biasing flange 15 into engagement with lthe lower surface 23 of the central part 4. The element 18 Wedges with the portion 12 and resists its displacement.

The lower portion 12 is a'hollow tube and has a ilexible relatively thin wall section defining an internal oval or nonround bore 25 open at its upper end and admitlting an inner tubular flexible extension portion 26.

The portion 26 has an outer peripheral surface 27 which is complementary to the bore surface25 and as best seen in LFIGURE 2 is positionable in complementa] relation thereto whereupon the upper and lower portions slide easily axially to adjust thelength of the column. The lengths 1,2 and 26 are relatively rotatable to noncomplemental position as in LFIGURE 3 whereupon they are stressed or distorted radially thereby tightly interlocking the parts in axially adjusted position.

The upper end `28 of the portion 26 is provided with a socket 29 which admits a bulb 30 therein the socket having side and central terminals 31 and 32 which connects to lead or wires 33 and 34. The Wires extend through the bore 35 in the inner member 26 and through bore "25 and through a central opening 36 in wall 14 and under the lower extremity 37 of portion 12 through a side notch 38 therein. The wires connect to an outlet plug 39.

The edge 37 is beveled and sawtoothed to provide a cutting edge permitting its being used to cut an opening 40 in a side wall 41 of a pumpkin 42 as best seen in FIGURE 5. The light fixture in FIGURE 5 utilizes the column portion, the base having been removed temporarily. The element `18 engages the interior 43 of the pumpkin wall 41 and the flange 15 engaging |the exterior 44 of the pumpkin.

Thus it will be readily apparent that a novel multipart light assembly has been provided which is optionally useable as a liglnt stand or as a pumpkin lighter.

Various other uses and forms of the invention will become readily obvious to those skilled inthe art as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:`

1. A light fixture having a column portion, a support portion, means removably interconnecting said portions, and comprising a pair of radially extending elements on theA column receiving saidI support therebetween, said elements being relatively axially movable with respect to the column, at least one of said elements having a circular opening of a diameter less than 'the largest diameter of the column, said one element and said column being flexible and said column distortably deii'ecting said one element axially into generally conical shape and into yieldable engagement with the support, said column normally being oval in cross-section.

2. In a light structure, a light-supporting column having a normally oval external surface, a support for the column having an opening receiving the column therethrough, means on the column in engagement 'with one side of the support, and releasable securing means on the column on the other side of the support, said releasable means comprising a :thin ilexible normally at disc having a normally circular opening of a diameter less than the largest diameter of the column, said opening distortable to admit 'the column therethrough with attendant axial bowing of the disc, said disc in said distorted condition being movable against said support and yieldably engaging the same and biasing the said inst-mentioned means into engagement with lthe support.

3. The combinationrof a column, a support therefor having anV aperture admitting the column therethrough, means on the column clampingly engaging opposite sides of the suppont, at least one of saidmeans comprising a flexible disc having an aperture of different contour than said column, said aperture being distorted into the shape of the column to admit said disc on the column said disk normally being ilat and on the column having a dished shape and having radial elasticity wedging the same onto said column.

4. An extensible and contractible structure comprising a pair of telescoping elements, at least. one of said elements being radially flexible, said elements having nonround complementary engaging peripheral surfaces, said elements having` a rst position with said surfaces in complementary nesting relation whereby said elements are axially movable and having a second position circumferentially displaced from said first position with attendant distortion of the flexible element and interlocking said elements against axial movement and one of said elements having a pair of axially opposed clamping members for embracing an associated support therebetween, and one of said members having an opening therein admitting said one element therethrough and said one element having its said nonround external peripheral surface of larger diameter than said opening, and said one member being a 'flexible disc having radial elasticity in wedge engagement with said external peripheral surface.

5. A lamp structure having a column with axially extensible and contractible elements, said elements having complementary oval peripheries in complementary relation in unlocked position and in noncomplemen'tary locked position, said elements being ilexible and temporarily distortable into said locked position, a pair of axially opposed clamping members on the column, one of said members comprising a ilexible thin normally `ilat disc having an aperture noncomplementally tightly receiving 'the column and distorted into concave-convex shape in Wedging relationship with the column.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,161,854 Copell June 13, 1939 2,236,071 Roskam et al Mar. 25, 1941 2,482,656 Conroy et al Sept. 20, 1949 2,685,022 Root et al July 27, 1954 2,826,680 Cline Mar. 11, 1958 2,947,053 Sanderson Aug. 2, 1960 2,949,692 Kuhn Aug. 23, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 740,476 France Nov. 14, 1932 840,435 Great Britain July 6, 1960 

5. A LAMP STRUCTURE HAVING A COLUMN WITH AXIALLY EXTENSIBLE AND CONTRACTIBLE ELEMENTS, SAID ELEMENTS HAVING COMPLEMENTARY OVAL PERIPHERIES IN COMPLEMENTARY RELATION IN UNLOCKED POSITION AND IN NONCOMPLEMENTARY LOCKED POSITION, SAID ELEMENTS BEING FLEXIBLE AND TEMPORARILY DISTORTABLE INTO SAID LOCKED POSITION, A PAIR OF AXIALLY OPPOSED CLAMPING MEMBERS ON THE COLUMN, ONE OF SAID MEMBERS COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE THIN NORMALLY FLAT DISC HAVING AN APERTURE NONCOMPLEMENTALLY TIGHTLY RECEIVING THE COLUMN AND DISTORTED INTO CONCAVO-CONVEX SHAPE IN WEDGING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COLUMN. 